Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes (砂の女, Suna No Onna, "Sand Woman") is a 1964 Japanese New Wave avant-garde psychological thriller and drama film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, starring Eiji Okada as an entomologist searching for insects and Kyōko Kishida as the titular woman. It received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for two Academy Awards. The screenplay for the film was adapted by Kōbō Abe from his 1962 novel.The movie is now considered to be Teshigahara's masterpiece, one of the best movies of 1964, of the 1960s and of the 20th century, as well as one of the best and greatest Japanese movies of all time.